SQL Commands

This document provides a comprehensive reference to SQL commands supported by Stoolap.

Data Manipulation Language (DML)

SELECT

The SELECT statement retrieves data from one or more tables.

Basic Syntax

SELECT [DISTINCT] column1, column2, ...
FROM table_name
[WHERE condition]
[GROUP BY column1, column2, ...]
[HAVING condition]
[ORDER BY column1 [ASC|DESC], column2 [ASC|DESC], ...]
[LIMIT count [OFFSET offset]]

Parameters

DISTINCT: Optional keyword that removes duplicate rows from the result
column1, column2, …: Columns to retrieve; use * for all columns
table_name: The table to query
WHERE condition: Optional filter condition
GROUP BY: Optional grouping of rows by specified columns
HAVING: Optional filter applied to groups
ORDER BY: Optional sorting of results
LIMIT: Optional restriction on the number of rows returned
OFFSET: Optional number of rows to skip

Examples

Basic query:

SELECT id, name, price FROM products;

Filtering with WHERE:

SELECT * FROM products WHERE price > 50.00;

Sorting with ORDER BY:

SELECT * FROM products ORDER BY price DESC;

Limiting results:

SELECT * FROM customers LIMIT 10;

Unique values with DISTINCT:

SELECT DISTINCT category FROM products;

Aggregation with GROUP BY:

SELECT category, AVG(price) AS avg_price 
FROM products 
GROUP BY category;

Filtering groups with HAVING:

SELECT category, COUNT(*) AS product_count 
FROM products 
GROUP BY category 
HAVING COUNT(*) > 5;

JOIN Operations

Combining data from multiple tables:

-- INNER JOIN
SELECT p.id, p.name, c.name AS category
FROM products p
INNER JOIN categories c ON p.category_id = c.id;

-- LEFT JOIN
SELECT c.id, c.name, o.id AS order_id
FROM customers c
LEFT JOIN orders o ON c.id = o.customer_id;

INSERT

The INSERT statement adds new rows to a table.

Basic Syntax

-- Single row insertion
INSERT INTO table_name [(column1, column2, ...)]
VALUES (value1, value2, ...);

-- Multiple row insertion
INSERT INTO table_name [(column1, column2, ...)]
VALUES 
  (value1_1, value1_2, ...),
  (value2_1, value2_2, ...),
  ...;

-- With ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE
INSERT INTO table_name [(column1, column2, ...)]
VALUES (value1, value2, ...)
ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE
  column1 = new_value1,
  column2 = new_value2,
  ...;

Parameters

table_name: The table to insert data into
column1, column2, …: Optional list of columns to insert into
value1, value2, …: Values to insert corresponding to the columns
ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE: Optional clause to update existing rows on conflict

Examples

Basic insertion:

INSERT INTO customers (id, name, email) 
VALUES (1, 'John Doe', 'john@example.com');

Multiple row insertion:

INSERT INTO products (id, name, price) VALUES 
(1, 'Laptop', 1200.00),
(2, 'Smartphone', 800.00),
(3, 'Tablet', 500.00);

With ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE:

INSERT INTO inventory (product_id, quantity) 
VALUES (101, 50)
ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE
  quantity = quantity + 50;

UPDATE

The UPDATE statement modifies existing data in a table.

Basic Syntax

UPDATE table_name
SET column1 = value1, column2 = value2, ...
[WHERE condition];

Parameters

table_name: The table to update
column1, column2, …: Columns to update
value1, value2, …: New values for the columns
WHERE condition: Optional condition to specify which rows to update

Examples

Update a single row:

UPDATE customers 
SET email = 'new.email@example.com' 
WHERE id = 1;

Update multiple rows:

UPDATE products 
SET price = price * 1.1 
WHERE category = 'Electronics';

Update all rows:

UPDATE settings 
SET last_updated = CURRENT_TIMESTAMP;

DELETE

The DELETE statement removes rows from a table.

Basic Syntax

DELETE FROM table_name
[WHERE condition];

Parameters

table_name: The table to delete from
WHERE condition: Optional condition to specify which rows to delete

Examples

Delete a single row:

DELETE FROM customers WHERE id = 1;

Delete multiple rows with condition:

DELETE FROM orders WHERE order_date < '2023-01-01';

Delete all rows:

DELETE FROM temporary_logs;

Data Definition Language (DDL)

CREATE TABLE

Creates a new table with specified columns and constraints.

Basic Syntax

CREATE TABLE [IF NOT EXISTS] table_name (
    column_name data_type [constraints...],
    column_name data_type [constraints...],
    ...
);

Parameters

IF NOT EXISTS: Optional clause that prevents an error if the table already exists
table_name: Name of the table to create
column_name: Name of a column in the table
data_type: Data type of the column (INTEGER, TEXT, FLOAT, BOOLEAN, TIMESTAMP, JSON)
constraints: Optional column constraints (NOT NULL, PRIMARY KEY)

Examples

Basic table creation:

CREATE TABLE users (
    id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
    username TEXT NOT NULL,
    email TEXT,
    age INTEGER,
    created_at TIMESTAMP
);

Using IF NOT EXISTS:

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS products (
    id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
    name TEXT NOT NULL,
    price FLOAT NOT NULL,
    category TEXT
);

ALTER TABLE

Modifies an existing table.

Basic Syntax

ALTER TABLE table_name operation;

Where operation is one of:

ADD COLUMN column_name data_type [constraints...]
DROP COLUMN column_name
RENAME COLUMN column_name TO new_column_name
RENAME TO new_table_name

Parameters

table_name: Name of the table to alter
column_name: Name of the column to alter
new_column_name: New name for the column when renaming
new_table_name: New name for the table when renaming
data_type: Data type for a new column
constraints: Optional constraints for a new column

Examples

Adding a column:

ALTER TABLE users ADD COLUMN last_login TIMESTAMP;

Dropping a column:

ALTER TABLE users DROP COLUMN age;

Renaming a column:

ALTER TABLE users RENAME COLUMN username TO user_name;

Renaming a table:

ALTER TABLE users RENAME TO customers;

DROP TABLE

Removes a table and all its data.

Basic Syntax

DROP TABLE [IF EXISTS] table_name;

Parameters

IF EXISTS: Optional clause that prevents an error if the table doesn’t exist
table_name: Name of the table to drop

Examples

Basic table drop:

DROP TABLE temporary_data;

Using IF EXISTS:

DROP TABLE IF EXISTS temporary_logs;

CREATE INDEX

Creates an index on table columns.

Basic Syntax

-- Regular index
CREATE [UNIQUE] INDEX [IF NOT EXISTS] index_name 
ON table_name (column_name [, column_name...]);

-- Columnar index
CREATE [UNIQUE] COLUMNAR INDEX [IF NOT EXISTS] 
ON table_name (column_name);

Parameters

UNIQUE: Optional keyword that creates a unique index
IF NOT EXISTS: Optional clause that prevents an error if the index already exists
index_name: Name of the index to create
table_name: Name of the table on which to create the index
column_name: Name of the column(s) to include in the index

Examples

Single-column index:

CREATE INDEX idx_user_email ON users (email);

Multi-column index:

CREATE INDEX idx_name_category ON products (name, category);

Unique index:

CREATE UNIQUE INDEX idx_unique_username ON users (username);

Columnar index:

CREATE COLUMNAR INDEX ON products (category);

DROP INDEX

Removes an index from a table.

Basic Syntax

-- Regular index
DROP INDEX [IF EXISTS] index_name ON table_name;

-- Columnar index
DROP COLUMNAR INDEX [IF EXISTS] ON table_name (column_name);

Parameters

IF EXISTS: Optional clause that prevents an error if the index doesn’t exist
index_name: Name of the index to drop
table_name: Name of the table containing the index
column_name: Name of the column with the columnar index

Examples

Basic index drop:

DROP INDEX idx_user_email ON users;

Columnar index drop:

DROP COLUMNAR INDEX ON products (category);

CREATE VIEW

Creates a virtual table based on a SELECT query.

Basic Syntax

CREATE VIEW [IF NOT EXISTS] view_name AS select_statement;

Parameters

IF NOT EXISTS: Optional clause that prevents an error if the view already exists
view_name: Name of the view to create
select_statement: A SELECT query that defines the view

Examples

Basic view creation:

CREATE VIEW active_users AS 
SELECT * FROM users WHERE active = true;

View with joins:

CREATE VIEW product_details AS
SELECT p.id, p.name, c.name AS category, p.price
FROM products p
JOIN categories c ON p.category_id = c.id;

DROP VIEW

Removes a view.

Basic Syntax

DROP VIEW [IF EXISTS] view_name;

Parameters

IF EXISTS: Optional clause that prevents an error if the view doesn’t exist
view_name: Name of the view to drop

Examples

Basic view drop:

DROP VIEW active_users;

Using IF EXISTS:

DROP VIEW IF EXISTS product_details;

Transaction Control

BEGIN TRANSACTION

Starts a new transaction.

Basic Syntax

BEGIN TRANSACTION;

Example

BEGIN TRANSACTION;
UPDATE accounts SET balance = balance - 100 WHERE id = 1;
UPDATE accounts SET balance = balance + 100 WHERE id = 2;
COMMIT;

COMMIT

Commits the current transaction, making all changes permanent.

Basic Syntax

COMMIT;

ROLLBACK

Rolls back the current transaction, discarding all changes.

Basic Syntax

ROLLBACK;

Other Commands

SHOW INDEXES

Lists all indexes for a table.

Basic Syntax

SHOW INDEXES FROM table_name;

Parameters

table_name: The table to show indexes for

Example

SHOW INDEXES FROM users;

PRAGMA

Sets or gets configuration options.

Basic Syntax

-- Set a configuration option
PRAGMA name = value;

-- Get the current value
PRAGMA name;

Common PRAGMAs

sync_mode: Controls WAL synchronization (0=None, 1=Normal, 2=Full)
snapshot_interval: Controls how often snapshots are taken (in seconds)
keep_snapshots: Controls how many snapshots to retain
query_cache_enabled: Enables or disables the query cache

Examples

-- Configure snapshot interval
PRAGMA snapshot_interval = 60;

-- Configure WAL sync mode
PRAGMA sync_mode = 2;

Notes and Limitations

Transactions: Stoolap provides MVCC-based transactions for concurrent operations
JOIN Support: LEFT JOIN and INNER JOIN are supported, but RIGHT JOIN and FULL JOIN are not
Advanced Features: Some SQL features like window functions are implemented but with limitations
Parameters: Use ? placeholder for parameter binding in prepared statements
NULL Handling: Stoolap follows standard SQL NULL semantics; NULL values are not equal to any value, including another NULL, and require IS NULL or IS NOT NULL operators for testing
Type Conversion: Stoolap performs implicit type conversions in some contexts, but explicit CAST is recommended for clarity